A Generous Man

"Given the accusations within the Confucian School and the Anle Palace's targeting, His Majesty is unlikely to protect Zhao Wan and Wang Zang, especially since neither of them is exceptionally powerful enough to exceed the court's control!"

Based on Kong Anguo's words, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the two high-ranking officials were likely in grave danger.

"Unless the two of them can gamble their lives and see if they can outlive the Empress Dowager, then everything will surely be resolved!"

Zhang Xuezhou saw no possibility of Zhao Wan breaking the deadlock in the current situation. If she wanted to resolve this major problem, she could only endure it, even if it meant just barely surviving.

Zhao Wan's position as Imperial Censor was his lifeline. It wasn't that no one could kill the Imperial Censor, but rather which of the three parties would take the initiative to kill him.

Zhao Wan and Wang Zang were undoubtedly caught in the conflict between Anle Palace, the imperial court, and the Confucian School forces. As these two were at the top of the official power structure of the Confucian School, it was only natural that they would be targeted when the Confucian forces collapsed.

When Zhang Xuezhou thought it through, he felt that some parts of his memory seemed similar.

He suddenly recalled the power struggle in reality, which involved a three-way game between the Western Capital City, powerful Lineage in local provinces and cities, and the British Alliance State.

This made Zhang Xuezhou gasp.

It's certainly advantageous for Zhao Wan and Wang Zang to be at the forefront, and the struggle for the order of events also brings great benefits.

If they charge into the struggle for the order of succession, they might be able to withdraw even if they fail to become a representative, but once they participate in the competition, problems will arise regardless of victory or defeat.

If one cannot suppress any one side, then one can only drift along in this three-way struggle.

This might lead to a good outcome, or it might lead to an uncontrollable bad outcome.

Even if Zhang Xuezhou has some talent and Ren Anran is quite capable, their situation will be no different from that of Zhao Wan, Wang Zang, and others.

"Brother Kong, since the court has recently appointed you as a scholar-in-waiting at the Golden Horse Gate, your father must have been highly regarded by the court and could not possibly be involved in such matters," Zhang Xuezhou said after figuring it out.

"Brother Dongfang is right, this really puts my troubled mind at ease!"

When Kong Anguo said he felt relieved, he really did.

He was merely a scholar-official at the Golden Horse Gate, only allowed to roam the main streets of Chang'an City and the Golden Horse Gate area of the palace; he was not permitted to enter other important locations.

Consequently, it was extremely difficult for Kong Anguo to obtain relatively accurate information.

He was completely ignorant of court affairs, and even Zhang Xuezhou's suggestion was something he hadn't considered.

After Zhang Xuezhou finished speaking, Kong Anguo felt that it was reasonable to listen to the opinions of his senior officials.

This put his mind at ease, and he ate less hurriedly.

"Brother Dongfang is truly a virtuous man!" Kong Anguo said. "If you hadn't informed me, I don't know how long I would have remained anxious!"

"Hahaha!"

Zhang Xuezhou chuckled.

He found that the other person had a truly sweet tongue; aside from not praising his repeatedly missed handsome appearance, they used almost every other word to lavish praise on him.

Being addressed as a gentleman and a virtuous man by Kong Anguo, Zhang Xuezhou felt that his moral character no longer needed any improvement in Kong Anguo's eyes.

If Zhang Xuezhou were to propose the idea of swearing brotherhood, it would essentially mean they could go through with the formalities of swearing an oath.

"Brother Kong, you can rest assured," Zhang Xuezhou reassured him. "Let's just do what we need to do. Your father will definitely be back in a couple of days!"

Besides visiting the Golden Horse Gate to see if the new emperor had assigned him a new official position or issued an edict to summon him, Zhang Xuezhou was also very happy to befriend the Imperial Academician.

The position of Imperial Academician was currently considered useless, but once promoted, it would become an official with real power.

It is especially easy for the children of these large Lineage to become officials, and they are also very likely to be promoted.

If Kong Anguo were to obtain a high-ranking official position, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the other party should be able to give him, a virtuous and upright man, appropriate consideration.

Therefore, Zhang Xuezhou's enthusiasm is not surprising.

No matter what kind of scholar came, he felt that he could make friends with them, even if it was just as good as drinking buddies, it was better than having a disagreement.

He wasn't afraid of no one bringing him benefits; Zhang Xuezhou felt that as long as no one brought him harm, it was fine.

"You're right!"

Once Kong Anguo regained his composure, he began to seriously observe the scholar who had been summoned to solve his problem.

When he looked at Zhang Xuezhou, he realized that Zhang Xuezhou wasn't much older than him.

Moreover, there was a faint aura about the other person that he recognized.

Kong Anguo pondered for only a few seconds, then quickly finished his meal and took out an inkstone from his sleeve.

"Brother Dongfang, I am deeply grateful for your hospitality with breakfast today, and for reminding me of my anxieties. In my current state of disgrace, I have no way to repay you, so this small inkstone is but a token of my gratitude!"

"Brother Kong, we're just chatting casually, and this breakfast is provided by the imperial court!"

Zhang Xuezhou had never met such a generous person who would start giving gifts after just a few words of conversation.

If it were just an ordinary object, it wouldn't matter, but he could sense traces of Law Power on the inkstone that Kong Anguo had taken out.

In other words, this inkstone can be categorized as Law Treasure or Law Artifact implement.

Although its purpose is unknown, it is at least of considerable value, which cannot be measured in terms of gold, silver, or money.

"Brother Dongfang has relieved my urgent need, this small token of my gratitude is only right," Kong Anguo said. "It is a pity that such precious books and paintings are damaged. This inkstone can nourish and even be used to repair them. If Brother Dongfang finds it useful, why not accept it!"

"Nurture your treasured books and paintings!"

It wasn't until Kong Anguo reminded him that Zhang Xuezhou remembered the little demon Hua Bao, which he had suppressed in the sleeve of Tianyi.

This painting demon originated from the Eastern Heavenly Gate Secret Realm, destroyed the Sage Kong painting treasure that he obtained from the great Confucian scholar Yuan Gu, and also likes to ramble on and on.

Zhang Xuezhou's anger wasn't just a fleeting outburst; he genuinely Law Power to pin the other party down on the painting, preventing them from causing any trouble.

If Kong Anguo hadn't reminded him, he would have almost forgotten that he possessed such a special painting treasure.

"Then thank you very much!"

Zhang Xuezhou finally cupped his hands in a gesture of respect and accepted the gift.

Although it's unknown whether this inkstone can be used to restore the image of Sage Kong, it's better to try than not to try at all.

"Confucian School are well-versed in magical artifacts such as books and paintings, and also have some knowledge of other types of Law Treasure. If Brother Dongfang is interested..."

"I'm very interested, Brother Kong! It's a pity we haven't met sooner!"

Kong Anguo said something, which Zhang Xuezhou immediately echoed.

Although he wasn't particularly interested in the development of Shubao and Huabao, Zhang Xuezhou felt it wouldn't hurt to know more about them, given that he already possessed such treasures himself.

The fact that Kong Anguo took out the inkstone and mentioned nurturing and restoring the calligraphy and painting treasures suggests that the other party must have done a lot of work in this area.

Zhang Xuezhou's use of the treasures was indeed very limited. He would usually use them briefly after getting them, and then throw them away if he couldn't use them anymore.

Looking back on these years, Zhang Xuezhou felt that he had somewhat wasted his talents.

Zhang Xuezhou would be very willing to learn some proper methods for using Law Treasure.